updated 02:00 am EST, Sat December 3, 2011

Sony Reader Wi-Fi price lower to fight with Kindle

Sony has quietly dropped the price of the Reader Wi-Fi to $130. The $20 drop came less than two months after the e-reader went on sale in mid-October. The Starter and Travel bundles keep their earlier $205 prices.

The price cut is likely a reaction both to the shipping Amazon Kindle Touch, which at $99 was a third less expensive, as well as the price-dropped Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch at a similar amount. Most of Sony's focus is on Amazon's need to introduce ads to reach the more aggressive price. Without ads, the Kindle Touch costs a more expensive $139.

Sony's Reader Wi-Fi has a similar six-inch E Ink screen to its counterparts but touts both its category-leading 5.9-ounce weight as well as its inclusion of a stylus for much more precise handwritten notes. Library borrowing is available out of the box to provide free books beyond just the public domain. [viaEngadget]